this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2026
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This fuel costs as little at 80c a litre in Australia. So why isn't everyone using it? (www.sbs.com.au)
submitted 2 days ago by okwithmydecay@leminal.space to c/australia@aussie.zone
21 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

It's half the price of regular unleaded, produced in Australia and comparably lower in emissions than petrol — yet the number of service stations offering LPG is dwindling across the country.

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[–] No1@aussie.zone 4 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

Before the rise of renewables and electric/battery, I thought LPG sounded pretty good:

  • energy independence: we have huge reserves of this stuff
  • less polluting than petrol, diesel, coal etc
  • some good improving tech eg VPI, LPI, LPDI for cars (At one stage when I was looking at it, you could generate more power from some LPG systems than from petrol)
  • every taxi couldn't be wrong!

Now I'd rather go renewables, but if there's any cases where dino juices are required, I still wonder if LPG is the best of the bad choices. Eg, if we HAVE to have an electric plant that's not renewables, then wouldn't LPG be better? And don't mention nuclear, or I will go nuclear!

[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 1 points 53 minutes ago

LPG and NLG are terrible compared to electric for most Australians.

Electric Heat Pump Hot water is more efficient than Gas hot water. Reverse cycle A/C is more efficient than NLG central heating. Induction cooking is more efficient than NLG cooking.

The main benefits in ICE vehicles over pure EV are ubiquity of fuel (even with the current restrictions - it is easier to fill with petrol than to charge an EV) and weight reduction. A petrol tank weighs almost nothing when it is empty and petrol is lighter than water, so only a bit more when full. A Lithium-Ion drive battery weighs the same whether it is charged or empty. Due to the reinforcement and regulator fittings, an LPG tank weighs less than a battery but much more than a petrol tank. Due to the fuel being compressed in the tank, it also weighs more than petrol. Even with an engine tuned specifically for LPG, it is not as efficient as Petrol by volume.

PHEV and EVs are more economical to run in short term. Performance EVs have unparalleled performance, but limited range and limited curb appeal. Soft-Hybrids strike the balance of traditional performance and expandable range. Petrol, Soft-Hybrids and PHEVs all have limitless range (as long as there are fuel stations).

LPGs are the worse of all options. They are more expensive to maintain, have limited range due to limited availability of fuel, weigh more than they should and provide an uninspiring driving experience.